The present invention claims priority based on the Japanese Patent Application No. H10-68959, the contents of which are incorporated hereinto by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a camera for photographing an object and acquiring image data of the object, and to a camera system combined with a computer having a connector which allows a camera to be connected with the computer. The invention also relates to a camera, a computer, and a recording medium used in said system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Image data taken by a digital camera is typically loaded into a computer using an image loading software (or a driver software) for the digital camera. The image taken into the computer is processed, printed, or recorded using an application software in the computer. Some camera systems allow the live view image being taken by the digital camera to be displayed on the monitor screen of the computer with help of the driver software, or allows the shutter of the digital camera to be actuated from the driver software side.
Japanese Unexamined Laid-Open Patent Publication No. H9(1997)-270944 discloses a camera system in which a digital camera is connected to a TV monitor or a computer. With this system, when the digital camera is connected to the computer, the display screen of the digital camera, on which the photographed image is displayed, can be turned on and off from the computer side.
However, the conventional camera system requires complicated manipulation by the user in order to operate the digital camera from the computer side, and the operation system used in the conventional camera system is not user-friendly. Even if some driver softwares are available, these driver softwares are not designed so as to allow the user to manipulate the digital camera easily through the computer by intuition. Besides, the operation of the driver software itself is not easy for a beginner.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a camera system in which a digital camera and a computer are connected to each other, and which allows the digital camera to be easily manipulated from the computer side.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a camera system which allows the user to set a camera mode easily.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a camera suitably used in the camera system.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a system for allowing the camera used in the camera system to cooperate with a computer.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium suitably used in the camera system.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a computer suitably used in the camera system.
In order to achieve the objects, in one aspect of the present invention, a camera system comprising a camera for photographing an object and acquiring image data of the object; a computer having a connector which allows the camera to be connected to the computer; a mode setting device provided to the camera and for setting an operation mode of the camera; a display which functions together with the computer; and a controller provided to the computer, the controller detecting a connection between the camera and the computer via the connector, and causing an image representing the mode setting device and an image representing a display panel for displaying the image taken by the camera to be displayed on said display upon detection of a connection. When the computer is manipulated for setting a mode based the image representing the mode setting device, the controller supplies an instruction for setting the mode to the camera. The camera sets the mode in response to the instruction supplied from the controller.
With this system, the user can set a desired mode of the camera which is connected to the computer by manipulating the display screen of the computer, without requiring complicated operations of the computer. The user can set the mode of the camera easily and conveniently as if setting the mode directly on the camera.
If the controller detects a connection between the camera and the computer, the controller causes the picture of the mode setting device of the camera to be displayed on the display screen of the computer, through which the user can select and set a desired mode.